Upon arrival at a Port of Entry you, the immigrant, will be directed to the non-citizen's line/queue. An officer will inspect your passport and brown envelope. You will then be directed to a secondary inspector. In some cases the first inspector completes both inspection steps. The secondary inspector will check to see if the envelope has been tampered with or otherwise mishandled. Then s/he will check the documents inside. Once the inspection is complete, your photographs and fingerprints will be taken. This may take 30 minutes or more.
- Be sure to let the inspector know if your contact address in the USA has changed. This is important as your Welcome To the U.S. letter and green card will be sent to this address.
- Let the inspector know if it has been 2 years or more since you were married. If so, your CR visa will be changed to IR. This means you will receive a 10-year green card instead of 2-year green card.
Relax and go catch your connecting flight, if you have one. It’s advisable to allow at least 4 hours between your POE time and connecting flight. It's better to have some time to relax than to have to rush.
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NOTE: The above information does not address the specific requirements for any given case and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.